Mt Diablo State Park: Mitchell Canyon-Eagle Peak Loop

This is a 7.8 mile loop with approximately 1700 feet of elevation gain.

Please post your desire to carpool and your ability to drive and where you are coming from in the comments section.

Note: we are not hiking up Mt. Diablo since the top is too hectic with cars and people. We will be hiking up Eagle Peak which is described as "peaceful, lonely and far-removed from the developed areas of the park". Sounds perfect to me especially since I've done the Mt Diablo hike in the past and it is a real letdown getting to the top only to encounter crowds of people.

Description:

This is a creek-to-peak tour of Mt. Diablo State Park. We start out in Mitchell Canyon and climb fire roads, which start out deceptively easy and then become steeper, up to Murchio Gap. Here we transition to single-track trails which take us on a "rollicking" excursion over knife-edged Eagle Peak. Here we will get views of the park and then take a steeply-graded trail back to the trailhead. Don't forget your hiking poles!

Directions:

From Milpitas, take I-880 North to the Mission Blvd exit and merge onto Mission Blvd toward Sacramento/I-680. Drive 1.5 miles on Mission Blvd to the I-680 North entrance (towards Sacramento). Drive 35.4 miles on I-680 and take the exit for Treat Blvd toward Geary Rd. Keep right at two successive forks to continue toward Treat Blvd (follow signs for Silicon Valley College). Merge onto Treat Blvd. Drive 1 mile and then turn right onto Bancroft Rd. Drive 0.7 miles and then turn left onto Ygnacio Valley Rd. Drive 5.3 miles and then turn right on Clayton Rd. Drive south on this road for 1 mile and then turn right onto Mitchell Canyon Rd. Continue about 1.5 miles to a parking lot on your left. Please note that if you miss the parking lot the road will loop around and send you back to Mitchell Canyon Road the way you just came.

Note: I do not know if this parking lot is gated. I will call Mt Diablo State Park to find out and post whatever information I get here.